Many people have asked why Will Smith was not arrested at the Oscars.
LAPD sources said only one officer was inside of the auditorium and he did not see the slap; he was backstage.
Since the slap is considered a misdemeanor battery the only way an arrest could have happened was in the presence of a police officer.
When the officer heard about the slap he went directly to Chris Rock’s dressing room where Chris said he did not want to press charges.
Under California law a Citizen’s Arrest could have happened but no one in the venue attempted to do that.
People who watched the slap on TV actually went to the LAPD to request he be arrested but that is not how the law works; you have to witness the offense in person.
